Troms, Norway · Winter 2026–27
Northern Lights in Tromsø
Tromsø sits at 69.6° north, inside the band between about 60° and 75° where NOAA says the aurora can be seen on more than half of the nights in a year. What decides your chances is darkness and cloud, so this guide shows both month by month, with flights and places to stay.
- Darkness on 15 Dec
- 16.1 h
- Cloud cover Dec–Feb
- 83.7%
- Avg January temp
- -8°C
- Nearest airport
- TOS 4 km
When is it dark enough in Tromsø?
NOAA notes that the aurora can only be seen when the sky is dark and clear, and that the midnight sun rules out summer viewing at auroral latitudes. In Tromsø the sun sinks more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of the month from September to March. From April to August it never does, so the sky stays too light.
Darkness peaks around the December solstice at about 16.1 hours, and there are about 48 days a year when the sun does not rise at all. September and March still give 5.5 and 8.2 hours of darkness on the 15th, with milder temperatures than midwinter.
Hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month (2026), calculated with the NOAA solar position equations for 69.65°, 18.96°. Aurora background: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
Cloud cover and temperature by month
Across the dark season the least cloudy month is September (82%), then October (83%). December to February averages 83.7% cloud cover, number 9 of the 9 destinations in this guide.
| Month | Darkness (15th) | Cloud cover | Avg temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.2 h | 83% | -8.0°C / 18°F |
| Feb | 12.1 h | 83% | -7.8°C / 18°F |
| Mar | 8.2 h | 85% | -5.3°C / 22°F |
| Apr | 0 h | 81% | -1.4°C / 29°F |
| May | 0 h | 80% | 4.2°C / 40°F |
| Jun | 0 h | 81% | 8.7°C / 48°F |
| Jul | 0 h | 79% | 12.5°C / 55°F |
| Aug | 0 h | 79% | 11.0°C / 52°F |
| Sep | 5.5 h | 82% | 6.9°C / 44°F |
| Oct | 10.3 h | 83% | 0.9°C / 34°F |
| Nov | 14 h | 84% | -3.4°C / 26°F |
| Dec | 16.1 h | 85% | -5.8°C / 22°F |
Cloud cover and temperature: NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project, Climatology API, 2001–2020 averages over a grid cell of roughly 50 km. Cloud cover is a day-and-night average, not a forecast.
Things to see and do in Tromsø
To see (11)
- Cathedral of Our Lady
- Tromsø Museum
- Polar Museum
- Polstjerna
- Perspektivet Museum
- The Northern Norwegian Art Museum
- The Tromsø Gallery of Contemporary Art
- Troll Museum
- Mack Brewery
- The Arctic Alpine Botanic Garden
- The Cable Car
Places from the English Wikivoyage article on Tromsø (names and locations, CC BY-SA 4.0), read 2026-09-17.
Where to stay in Tromsø
Staying a few nights gives more chances of a clear, dark sky. Compare hotels and cabins in Tromsø for the dark-season months.
Tromsø hotels on Expedia
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Flying to Tromsø
The nearest airports on our route maps, plus the nearest airport that at least five of those airlines fly to. Distances are straight-line.
Tromsø (TOS) · 4 km
13 airlines fly here on our route maps:
Northern lights in Tromsø: questions
When can you see the northern lights in Tromsø?
The aurora needs a dark, clear sky. In Tromsø the sun goes more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month from September to March; from April to August it does not, so the sky never gets properly dark.
How dark is Tromsø in winter?
On 15 December there are about 16.1 hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon. The sun does not rise at all on about 48 days a year.
Which month has the clearest skies in Tromsø?
In NASA's 2001–2020 averages for the area, the least cloudy dark-season month is September (82% cloud cover). December to February averages 83.7%, which ranks 9 of 9 on this guide's list of northern lights destinations.
How cold is Tromsø in January?
The average January temperature in NASA's 2001–2020 data for the area is -8°C (18°F). This is a regional average, so towns can be warmer or colder.
What is the nearest airport to Tromsø?
Tromsø (TOS) is 4 km away in a straight line, with 13 airlines on AirConnect's route maps.
Compare darkness and clear skies across all northern lights destinations →